CONAGRA: has sold its Swissrose International specialty cheese business to Fairmount Food Group, which doubles in size to $500 million in annual sales and becomes the largest U.S. importer of deli-style cheeses. This is the fifth acquisition for Dallas-based Fairmount and its private-equity investor GTCR Golder Rauner, which formed Fairmount in 2003 to buy DCI Cheese Co. Green Bay Cheese, Carter Meister and G&G Foods. Omaha, NE-based ConAgra sold its refrigerated meats business earlier this month to Smithfield Foods as part of a repositioning strategy that sheds peripheral brands (PROMO Xtra, Aug. 1, 2006).
SOCKO ENERGY: has formed a multi-year licensing and promotions partnership with World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (WWE). The deal will yield new products for the energy drink maker including a limited edition RAW Attitude Powered By Socko as well as quarterly collectors’ edition promotional cans featuring WWE Pay-Per-View branded names including SummerSlam Energy Powered By Socko and Wrestlemania Energy Powered By Socko, among others. Each of the WWE promotional cans will be made available through Socko’s existing distribution network. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Network
